Giancarlo Esposito, Rosa Salazar, and Jacob Lofland Join 'The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials'

After only a couple of weeks The Maze Runner has amassed $161M, not too shabby when one takes in the minuscule $30M budget. That's the kind of money that gets sequels moving, and we know director Wes Ball, Dylan O'Brien, and the cast will be returning for the next film, The Scorch Trials, with a few new additions joining them.

Giancarlo Esposito, who played Gus Fring on Breaking Bad but will always be known for his roles in Do the Right Thing and School Daze, has joined The Scorch Trials as Jorge, a pilot for the secretive WICKED organization. Also coming aboard are a couple of younger actors. Jacob Lofland (Mud) will play Aris Jones, a telepathic boy with ties to WICKED's creation, and Rosa Salazar (Insurgent) is Brenda, a key character holding on to a big secret. They join Aiden Gillan who was recently cast as Janson, the story's primary villain.

The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials opens September 18th 2015.

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Eva Green is 'Miss Peregrine'; Christopher Walken Joins 'The Jungle Book'

It was a little disappointing that Eva Green wasn't on hand to hype Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, she IS the titular dame after all, but that's okay because there will be plenty of chances to see her elsewhere. The Penny Dreadful star is in talks to lead Tim Burton's adaptation of Ranson Riggs’ Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The project has been in the works for about three years but finally seems to be moving now that Burton is finished with Big Eyes, a potential awards film starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. The story centers on 16-year old Jacob, whose grandfather told him fantastic stories of an orphanage where the residents were gifted with amazing abilities. When his grandfather dies, Jacob sets out to find the orphanage, and discovers it's rundown remains. He comes to learn that the kids may have been there because they were dangerous, and it's possible they may still be around. Green, who would play the title character and guardian of the children, worked with Burton on Dark Shadows. [Variety]

Another children's book being brought to life is Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, and Jon Favreau's live-action adaptation has just added a couple of wily veterans. Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito will lend their voices to the film as King Louie and Akela, respectively. They join Neel Sethi, Lupita Nyong'o, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, and Scarlett Johannson. The Jungle Book opens October 9th 2015.

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